Attention: Doug Eddings

[CaliAngel]

Hey! What was Hank Conger doing in the stands?

 

[HaloMagic]

It was a ball, made to look worse because of how the catcher caught it, but in the end it was still clearly a ball. People correctly got upset at Eddings for blowing the call, which would have been ball 4. What's the issue?

It wasn't "clearly a ball". Eddings established zone had him calling every part of the zone last night, low and high. So much so that even during the at bat Gubi and Rojas mentioned it saying that his zone was wide but that he was calling all strikes. Every spot of the plate. They were talking about that even before the strike two call. That ball knicked the corner. Perfect spot when the umpire has been calling such a wide zone. After watching the at bat again (including the on-air pitch track that showed it right on the corner), seeing the Brooks data, and following Eddings zone throughout the game (which matches his reputation of having the largest strike zone of all the umpires, something the players surely know) I don't even believe it was a ball anymore. As long as umpires have the discretion to call balls and strikes they will all maintain different strike zones. I can accept that, provided that it is fair to both teams and consistent. Last night Eddings was both.

People are upset that a baseball that possibly missed the "zone" by less than half a baseball was called a strike and some went so far as to call it the worst call they've ever seen. I'm not sure there is an issue but there is the explanation for why I posted. I thought they were heavily overreacting. Still do, probably more so now.

Edited July 26, 2014 by HaloMagic

[Stradling]

I've watched enough baseball, using that same camera angle over the last 35 years to say that's a ball, even if it had caught a part of the plate. So either Eddings made a bad call or ever other ump I've watched over the last three and a half decades made bad calls. I'm not even a guy that over reacts to bad umpires and unlike Cali, I certainly don't want automated balls and strike calls, but that was a poor call.

[Troll Daddy]

There was over thirty five hundred pitches thrown last night ... how many missed calls were there? I think leaving the batters box before the call is make will sometimes work against the hitter. Especially with old timers like Eddings.

[Stradling]

Yea he left the batters box because he knew it was a ball.

[Ohtaniland]

Randy Johnson made a living pitching his slider in that location. But it usually required a swing and a miss to get a strike.

[Angelsjunky]

Holy hyperbole. Even the chart shows that it was barely out of the zone. The wrong call, yes, but not a terrible one.

[Troll Daddy]

Yea he left the batters box because he knew it was a ball.

It's 7 am ... don't you think it 's a little early to already have your head up my a** tiger?

[Stradling]

Hey isn't it too early to say stupid shit on the internet TD?

[Troll Daddy]

Hey isn't it too early to say stupid shit on the internet TD?

yes it is my apologies

[Lou]

I'll jump in here before Troll Daddy does. I don't think the call was as bad as everyone is making it out to be. Wrong? Probably. But it was a left-hander throwing a curveball down and in to a right-handed batter with the camera over the pitcher's right shoulder. That made it look much worse. I don't think it missed by that much. Certainly the catcher caught it out of the zone. But it came close to hitting the bottom of it. This wouldn't even crack my top 100 worst strike calls list.

 

what are your top 100?

[Carlota Gonzalez]

I played poker with Eddings about 4 months after the Strike/Non Strike/ Perzinski incident in 2005. I played with him for hours before he told me what he did for a living. The whole time I kept thinking, this is the coolest guy ever, until he told me he a Doug Eddings. I looked at him after he told me his name and said, "I'm and Angels fan". He looked at me back and said "Ohhh, you KNOW who I am".

The Reason he keeps his job and even made it thru the ranks, is because he is soooo cool. He really has a kick ass personality. It was hard not to like him. Even after I knew who he was. I work in radio, and work closely with ESPN sports radio here in Vegas, and they said the same thing, Great guy, someone you want to hang out with and that's why he made it thru the ranks, not because he's good. After spending hours sitting next to him, hanging out, I totally can see it. I know it's not right, but it's the only thing that makes sense.

[Lou]

Cool guy....

 

that sucks at his job

[Stradling]

I played poker with Eddings about 4 months after the Strike/Non Strike/ Perzinski incident in 2005. I played with him for hours before he told me what he did for a living. The whole time I kept thinking, this is the coolest guy ever, until he told me he a Doug Eddings. I looked at him after he told me his name and said, "I'm and Angels fan". He looked at me back and said "Ohhh, you KNOW who I am".

The Reason he keeps his job and even made it thru the ranks, is because he is soooo cool. He really has a kick ass personality. It was hard not to like him. Even after I knew who he was. I work in radio, and work closely with ESPN sports radio here in Vegas, and they said the same thing, Great guy, someone you want to hang out with and that's why he made it thru the ranks, not because he's good. After spending hours sitting next to him, hanging out, I totally can see it. I know it's not right, but it's the only thing that makes sense.

Any friend of Doug Eddings is an enemy of mine.

[Slegnaac]

I played poker with Eddings about 4 months after the Strike/Non Strike/ Perzinski incident in 2005. I played with him for hours before he told me what he did for a living. The whole time I kept thinking, this is the coolest guy ever, until he told me he a Doug Eddings. I looked at him after he told me his name and said, "I'm and Angels fan". He looked at me back and said "Ohhh, you KNOW who I am".

The Reason he keeps his job and even made it thru the ranks, is because he is soooo cool. He really has a kick ass personality. It was hard not to like him. Even after I knew who he was. I work in radio, and work closely with ESPN sports radio here in Vegas, and they said the same thing, Great guy, someone you want to hang out with and that's why he made it thru the ranks, not because he's good. After spending hours sitting next to him, hanging out, I totally can see it. I know it's not right, but it's the only thing that makes sense.

I have to ask, as a poker player was he making the right calls?

[Stradling]

Was AJ playing poker too? Did he bluff every single hand? Did Josh Paul fold every hand?

[Carlota Gonzalez]

I have to ask, as a poker player was he making the right calls?

Lol. Not really. I took a ton of money from him. It was a fun night.

[Angel Oracle]

Meh, he's no Eric Gregg.

Livan Hernandez owes Gregg a boatload of money for Gregg's legendary 1997 NLCS performance. Probably 30-40% of Hernandez' 15 Ks were questionable.

Heck, Eddings balls/strike calling probably paled next to Jerry Meals' performance in the 2004 ALDS.

Eddings will always suck simply because of the 2005 ALCS screwup that may have cost the Halos a 2nd WS appearance.

Edited July 26, 2014 by Angel Oracle

[Slegnaac]

Lol. Not really. I took a ton of money from him. It was a fun night.

Sweet that you were able to literally get some "pay back".

[ABC]

He gambles, huh. Things make more sense now.

[Splint7438]

He gambles, huh. Things make more sense now.

Bingo!

[Splint7438]

Hey! What was Hank Conger doing in the stands?

 

it looks like Hank Conger went to the game with Hank Conger. I guess as a switch hitter you can be sitting and standing in the same picture.

[Stradling]

Bingo!

dumb

[Splint7438]

It does seem that Eddings doesn't miss a chance to go against the Angels on any close calls.

[Splint7438]

I don't suppose it was Eddings at third in the playoffs against the Yankees. Remember we tag two Yankees who were off the base and somehow only got one out from the play? In the playoffs yet.